Coca-Cola's New Dispensers Are The Future Of Soft Drinks

If you ask me, one of the joys of getting a beverage from a soda dispenser is that you can bring a touch of artistic flair to it. Yes, we all know that when you pay for a specific self-service drink, you should probably pour yourself said self-service drink – but what’s life without a bit of fun, huh? Making fun new drink combinations out of what’s available is part of the joy of it all. If only these machines weren’t so clunky…

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Well, those are all clearly points that The Coca-Cola Company has been discussing in the last couple of years, because it’s just announced that it’s debuting a new range of soda dispensers – and they look set to shake up how it’s done. Here’s what you need to know.

Dispensing Drinks Has Never Felt So Sleek

Last week, Coca-Cola announced what it’s calling “the next generation of soda dispensing” and unveiled its new range of drink fountains. These machines look set to take dispensing into the future. Instead of analog buttons, they all come equipped with touchscreens displaying the range of drinks on offer, and the dispensers all have futuristic designs and UX interfaces that Coca-Cola hopes will make choosing drinks even more intuitive (and, we guess, fun).

One key feature of these machines is that they can also collate data on what customers are opting for, which can then feed into new drinks and flavor combinations, leading to what the company hopes will be a positive feedback loop of customer preferences and innovation. So, the drinks you choose to make yourself might be on a shelf near you soon.

What Are These New Machines?

The cornerstone of this new soda dispenser advancement is Coca-Cola’s Freestyle range: Freestyle Equinox, Freestyle Modularity, and Freestyle Mini. All of them jazz up the drink fountain experience while still allowing you to mix and match, with the Mini machine more suited to smaller outfits or places that have limited space for a fountain.

Then, Coca-Cola is also debuting its Coca-Cola x Micro Matic Mixology dispenser, which builds on the Freestyle concept, allowing customers to add in extra syrups, dairy, and non-dairy alternatives. Essentially, it allows you to build your own dirty soda — and customers have already started sharing their favorite drinks.

And Is It Any Good?

Apparently so! Food Instagrammer @snackolator tried out this new mixology machine at this year’s National Restaurant Show in Chicago, and he was impressed. The machine is, so he says, easy to use and has tons of customization options, and builds genuinely tasty drinks. He called it “a true game-changer in the soda world,” and he might just be right. Expect to see these new fountains at a restaurant near you soon.